After a planned Red Arrows flypast at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo had to be called off at the last minute – we have collected together some of our favourite footage.
The RAF aerobatics display team were grounded due to foggy weather conditions, disappointing the crowds who had been hoping to watch the display fly over Edinburgh Castle on Friday evening.
The RAF’s Scottish account tweeted to say sorry for 'The Reds' not appearing but said they still saw a "terrific Edinburgh Tattoo".
‘Sorry the weather prevented ‘The Reds’ from appearing last evening, but @RAFinScotland still saw a terrific @EdinburghTattoo with AM Sir Gerry Mayhew taking the salute. @rafredarrows #rafmuseum #603squadron #scottishacademia #raflossiemouth pic.twitter.com/SlzUBRkg2X
— RAF in Scotland (@RAFinScotland) August 13, 2022
The Military Tattoo returned to Edinburgh for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s show, which runs until August 27, features more than 900 performers from around the world.
They include Mexico’s Banda Monumental, who have more than 100 performers bringing dramatic costumes and the bright carnival atmosphere of the country.
The United States Army Field Band have also made their debut at the Tattoo, performing military mash-ups of traditional and contemporary hits.
Track Red Arrows
If you are a fan of fancy flying, there are many ways to track the Red Arrows to make sure you don't miss a flight.
To find out when the display team are scheduled to take to the air, you can visit the RAF website for a list of events.
To see the actual flightpaths, websites such as Plane Finder can show you, in real time, where the planes have been.
Watch Red Arrows from inside and outside the cockpit
You can also keep up to date with the daredevil pilots’ antics on the RED Arrows’ official Instagram page.
The account, set up in 2016, has since garnered more than 154,000 followers enjoying their 1,196 posts to date.
In their first ever video, posted on November 24, 2016, the pilot-eye view shows the team flying over crystal clear waters in Bahrain.
The next video demonstrates the millimetre accuracy these exceptional pilots need to display – this time in Greece in 2017.
On a tour in 2019, this film captures a view from the cockpit during a flypast over Mount Rushmore.
And here, you can watch what the Red Arrows pilots saw during their flypast over Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Putting on the red, white and blue, the team said they were “honoured to perform for Her Majesty The Queen and the huge crowds both on the ground in London and watching from around the world”.
How many red arrows are there?
There are usually nine aircraft in the Red Arrows display, however after two pilots moved on to other roles within the RAF, this year the team is reduced to seven.
Along with the formation flying pilots, there's also the Officer Commanding and Supervisor.
Also in the team are a team manager, a public relations manager, aircrew planning officer, operations officers, engineering officers, an adjutant and approximately 85 engineering technicians and other support staff.
Ten aircraft engineering technicians and one photographer make up the "Circus".
The Circus members are allocated to a specific pilot for the duration of the display season and get to fly in the passenger seat to and from display airfields and service the aircraft before and after each appearance.
For more information, visit the Red Arrows section on the RAF website.
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